


bad boy bruises

by themrys



Series: At The Singh-Allen House [3]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Bullying, Gen, Hurt & Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-09
Updated: 2017-06-09
Packaged: 2018-11-12 05:02:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11154783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themrys/pseuds/themrys
Summary: The Singh-Allen house gets way too many calls from their son's principal about fights. And Barry refuses to tell them why.





	bad boy bruises

The first time the Singh-Allen household gets a call from Barry’s school Rob finds himself driving there in a panic, barely managing to hear the words _‘there’s been a fight’ and ‘hurt-’_ before grabbing his car keys. He can only picture the worst scenarios, their little boy bloody and bruised, a sad black eye greeting him from the chairs outside the principal’s office. He pictures Barry with a broken arm, then a broken leg, then both a broken arm _and_ leg. He imagines all the terrible things other kids could possibly say to his foster-son (although in his mind he doesn’t even realize he’s dropped the ‘foster’, Barry will always be _his son_ ) and drives slightly over the speed limit to get to him. 

What he expects, however, is the complete opposite of what he gets. 

Barry’s sitting outside the office alright, but he looks less bruised and more disgruntled than anything. The boys sitting a careful distance of two chairs away look less so. They all look up as they hear Rob coming down the hall and Barry flinches, looking away guiltily. 

“You okay, Bar?” Rob asks, kneeling in front of his son’s chair to get Barry to look him in the eye. Barry nods softly and Rob spares a glance for the two other boys, taking note of their ruffled appearances. They both sport scratches on their arms and one has a bruised cheek. They look shocked and if Rob’s suspicions are correct and Barry was the one to do this, then they are rightfully so. Barry’s smaller than most of the other kids his age and seems like he’d be the last one to fight back. He addresses all three of them with his question. “What happened?”

“Barry’s crazy! He just attacked us-”

“No I didn’t! You said-”

“Nuh-uh!”

“You're lying!”

“Boys!” Rob interjects and they all become silent, turning angrily away from each other. He sighs exasperatedly and turns back to his son. Before Rob can say anything else the door to the office opens and the principal beckons him inside to discuss his son’s fate. He places a gentle hand on Barry's shoulder and they both stand up, following the principal back inside and taking a seat across from his desk. After the formalities and the niceties, Principal Simmons informs him that the other boys had apparently said something offensive, but both Barry and them refuse to say what, prompting Barry to lash out and fight them. Rob spares a glance towards his son who looks more guilty and dejected as the seconds pass and his imagination runs wild again, whispering all the rude things the boys could possibly say about Barry and his biological parents. Rob manages to get Barry off with a warning not to get into more fights, knowing David and him will have to punish Barry later. 

Once the talk is over Barry looks relieved, eagerly leading the way out of the building. He hops into the backseat of the car, immediately leaning his head against the window and swinging his feet. Rob puts the keys in the ignition but doesn't start it, turning in the seat to look at his son.

“Will you tell me what happened?” He asks, hoping to get the story from his kid’s point of view. 

Barry shakes his head. “I don’t want to talk about it.” 

“Please, honey?” Rob tries. Barry just shakes his head again, turning further into the window. It hurts to think Barry doesn't trust them enough yet to confide in them but he won’t force him to talk. “Maybe later, okay? David will want to hear what happened from you.”

“Maybe,” Barry sighs into the glass and Rob lets out a breath, turning the key and starting the silent drive home.

-

He never tells them what those boys said to make him so angry, despite how much Rob and David wish he would. They won't push him and hope that he at least tells his therapist when they take him on Thursday. They want their son to have someone to confide in, even if it isn't them. 

The next time they get called into the office, David shows up and Barry is the injured one this time. His face has a nasty scratch on it that had to have come from his flesh meeting the playground blacktop and David nearly wants to fight a twelve year old in the moment he realizes this. Barry doesn’t get in trouble, seeing as the other boys were the instigators of the fight and observers all claimed that Barry didn't fight back. David wishes he would have when Barry informs him of the bruises on his sides, but he is also proud of his son for not participating in the violence.

When they get to the car, David lets Barry sit in the front in an attempt to lighten his mood. Ever since David stepped into the school and first saw Barry his son had looked upset and subdued, a raincloud hanging over his head. Barry, as is typical of him, proceeds to lean against the window and kick his feet against the seat. 

“What happened, kiddo?” David asks, reaching over to squeeze Barry’s knee in a comforting gesture. He doesn't exactly expect a response, just wants to know he’s there to listen if Barry wants to talk. 

“They said I was lying about my dad,” Barry says softly, shocking David. For a moment he’s elated that his son is opening up to him but it’s quickly overshadowed by the anguish in Barry’s tone. “They called me crazy and a liar and-and said I should be locked up too! And I was so angry! But, but then I started crying and there were so many of them and they kept making fun of me for crying and then one of the shoved me and, and-” Barry turns from the window with a wild look in his eyes, tears building up and breath coming out in gasps.

“Shh, take a deep breath,” David carefully rubs his hands up and down Barry’s thin shoulders as he tries to catch his breath. “You're alright now.”

“They were being so  _ mean  _ but all I could think was  _ they're right about you! _ and I couldn't s-stop them,” Barry sniffles out, leaning against the center counsel to get more of David’s comforting touch. 

“No, Barry. They're wrong, you're not crazy,” David says in a soft voice. He places gentle hands on the sides of Barry’s face to get him to meet his gaze. “You do not deserve to be locked up. You do not. Do you understand?”

Barry nods his head shakily, tears slipping out of his green eyes. He collapses back against the window, his hands falling into his lap and picking at his cuticles. David takes this as ‘ _this moment is over_ _and I’m feeling super raw please don't talk anymore and take me home’_ and starts the car. 

“Let’s see if we can't get Rob to let you have some ice cream before dinner tonight, hmm?” David suggests and feels a weight lift off his shoulders at the reflection of Barry’s tiny smile in the window.

-

They get calls from school more often than they wish, most times with Barry being the injured party. Those incidents always involve kids bullying Barry for his belief in his father’s innocence or kids trying to convince Barry that he’d end up just like his father. The culprits get punished with suspension but it doesn't seem to help. The boys get wise, chasing Barry after school so as to avoid the consequences from school. David has had to hold Rob back from marching up to many a parents and giving them a piece of his mind about the temperaments of their children. 

Barry talks more freely with them about what happened, the only blessing to come from the fights. He finally begins to open up about his grief and anger, all the emotions that have been festering inside him since his mother was murdered. He still has bad days where he doesn't want to talk to either of them but they become less frequent.

He answers their questions about almost every fight, except the ones he’s an active participant in. Each time is the same story: Kid says something mean, Barry reacts by fighting, both get called to the office, neither of them will confess to what started the fight. It frustrates all of the parents involved to no end but the kids always refuse to say anything. David and Rob wonder what could be so terrible as to cause a fight and warrant not speaking about it afterwards. If not insulting Barry about his father, then what? The car rides home after those fights are silent save for the  _ thump thump thump  _ of Barry kicking the seat. 

When David and Barry get home from the most recent fight, Barry hangs up his backpack and kicks off his shoes, carefully placing them on a shelf when Rob shoots him a look from where he’s standing in the kitchen doorway. He starts his way up the stairs but David catches him by the waist in a move that usually signals the boy is about to get tickled and Barry lets out a yelp.  

“Not so fast,” David says, carrying Barry into the kitchen and setting him down on a stool at the island. Barry harrumphs and crosses his arms on the counter, leaning against them in annoyance. Rob putters around the kitchen grabbing ingredients to make hot chocolate as David seats himself across from Barry. They all wait in silence as Rob prepares three mugs, handing them out and sitting next to his husband.

“So, what happened this time?” Rob asks blowing on his drink in an attempt to cool it.

“Nothin’,” Barry grumbles back, prompting Rob’s eyebrow to raise in disbelief.

“Try again.” 

“They- they were just being such jerks!” Barry exclaims before falling back into slump as if he didn’t mean to say anything. 

“And what were they being ‘such jerks’ about that required you to start a fight?”

“Nothing-”

“Bartholomew Henry Allen-Singh!”  _ Uh oh,  _ Barry thinks at the same time as Rob,  _ bringing out the full name.  _ “You can’t keep getting in fights and refusing to tell us why.”

“It doesn’t matter! I don’t know why I keep trying! They won’t ever shut up!” 

“Won’t shut up about what, honey?” Rob tries, heart aching as Barry focuses on tracing the rim of his mug so as to not look at them. 

“They keep saying bad things about  _ you _ ,” Barry finally divulges, shocking both adults. Their son has been getting into fights over  _ them _ ? “I can’t stand it! I can take it when they’re mean about my dad because they don’t know what I know, they don’t know he didn’t do it. But you guys haven’t done  _ anything _ ! You’ve been so nice to me and-and they’re just so mean!” 

Both adults find themselves off of their chairs in an instant, squishing Barry in between them in a hug. Barry is shocked by the contact, not expecting to be hugged and comforted when he was supposed to be yelled at for starting a fight. 

“Barry, we love you so much,” Rob says and Barry leans further into his chest. David wraps his arms around them both, squeezing extra tight in hopes of relaying how much affection he feels for both of them. “We love that you care enough about us to want to defend us, but you don’t have to, okay? You know we love you and make you happy and that’s all that matters. Not what the kids in your class think.”

“You’re so strong and brave but we just want you to go to school and learn something new, not start fights every time someone offends you. Promise us you won’t do it anymore?” 

“Okay, okay. I promise I won’t start any more fights.” Barry replies, his voice muffled by their hug. 

“And if I have anything to say about it, no one else will be starting any fights either.” 

Laughter rings through the kitchen as worry lifts from the family’s shoulders, happy to know their son won’t be getting in trouble any time soon. Barry makes good on his promise and the Singh-Allen household doesn’t receive any more calls (that is until sophomore year when Barry accidentally causes a  _ small  _ explosion in his chemistry class, but that’s a story for another day).

**Author's Note:**

> hello! i'm not dead!! I'm so sorry about not updating the main fic in a long time but Writing Is Hard and i'm not really sure where i want the next chapter to go (does barry tell them...does he chicken out...the world may never know) and figured writing one shots would help me get back in the groove! that being said pls don't rush me and feel free to leave prompts for side stories!!
> 
> thank u all so much for ur love and support xx


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